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Get your brooms ready, as we are heading towards a men’s sweep. After losing the first game of their first-round series to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers completely wiped out the No. 8 seed. They won Games 2 and 3 by a total of 31 points, then ran the Blazers for another decimation in Game 4, 135-115. Once again, LeBron James scored 30 points on a blazing 10-of-12 shot to go with 10 assists and six rebounds. Playoff LeBron is back.
Playoff Damian Lillard, however, is not. He left Game 4 with a knee injury after scoring just 11 points in two quarters and a few changes. Anthony Davis also left the game, nominally due to back spasms, but given the huge margin, the Lakers saw no need to risk their franchise center in a blowout. Right now, they can afford to think this way. The Lakers are firing on all cylinders and have every right to believe that they have taken up the torch of championship favorites. Here’s everything you need to know about this dominant Laker victory.
1. In honor of Kobe
Monday was Kobe Bryant’s very first day in Southern California. The deceased legend wore the numbers 8 and 24 during his 20-year career as a Laker, so 8/24 was chosen to honor him. Given the typical NBA schedule, the Lakers may never have another chance to honor Bryant on this day. NBA games are usually not played in August, but the Lakers took advantage of the rare opportunity to play for Kobe.
They wore the “Black Mamba” uniforms he had designed for the game, but the rest of their tributes could not have been planned. The Lakers opened this game on a 24-8 run, putting both Bryant’s numbers on the scoreboard at the same time (understandably, with the Lakers at the top as he would have liked). LeBron James scored eight points in the first quarter and with Davis’ 16, the two combined to tie Bryant’s 24 again. Ultimately, thanks to his 30 points and 10 assists, James became the first Laker since Bryant to post consecutive double-doubles in the playoffs. JR Smith even tied Bryant in the all-time 3-point NBA playoff standings.
It has been months since Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January, but the Lakers haven’t forgotten that. They never will. While that’s far from their only motivator, the Lakers would surely love to win a championship in honor of Kobe, and if tonight is any indication, they are the team of destiny this season.
2. The cold sequence is finished
The Lakers scored 17 3 points in that game, shooting 17 of 39 against the Blazers. The Lakers have scored 16 3 points just five times during the regular season. They had not done so since February 1. It had literally been over six months since the Lakers hit that level of shooting, and it’s just in time, too.
The Lakers couldn’t hit the wide side of a barn during seedling games. They weren’t a particularly good shooting team during the regular season, but that weakness tends to amplify in the playoffs. When teams overtake LeBron and Davis, Laker role players will need to be able to take their shots. Kyle Kuzma has been on fire since entering the bubble, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green going 5 of 8 of 3 is huge for their confidence. This version of the Lakers, the one that space the floor well even with several big men on the floor, can hook up with anyone.
3. Stick a fork in the Blazers
Their ranking games were downright inspiring. Their victory in the first game was astounding. But now that we have a significant sample of the Blazers playing against a championship-caliber competition, the verdict is in: they can’t call. The Lakers have beaten the Portland farce since that upset first game, and as much credit as they deserve for doing it, Portland’s exhausted roster is doing much of the heavy lifting here.
Zach Collins was dropped from the show with a stress fracture. Rodney Hood has been through most of the season. CJ McCollum suffers from a broken lower back. Damian Lillard added a knee injury to his dislocated finger in Game 4. Perhaps at full power the Blazers could have made it interesting, but the Lakers have such an overwhelming health advantage at this point that any notion competition between these two teams has now been rejected. It is a lag. It will end on Wednesday.
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